Rajshri Deshpande

Biography

Rajshri Deshpande is an actor and activist. She made her Bollywood debut in 2012 with a small role in the Aamir Khan starrer ‘Talaash’ and Salman Khan’s ‘Kick’. Her portrayal of Laxmi in ‘Angry Indian Goddesses’ provided her with a global platform. She played the leading role Durga in Sanal Kumar Shashidharan’s film Sexy Durga in 2017 which won “Hivos Toger Award” at Rotterdam Film Festival. She made her digital debut with BBC One’s McMafia directed by James Watkins in January 2018 and will also be seen in Netflix Originals Sacred Games which is directed by Anurag Kashyap. She is also portraying role of Ismat Chughtai in Nandita Das’s Manto. Rajshri dedicates her time extensively to humanitarian causes. In 2014, after the Nepal earthquake she worked with an international NGO for rebuilding efforts in one of the epicenter villages. In 2015, she adopted a drought-prone village in Maharashtra called Pandhri Pimpalgaon and single-handedly executed a rainwater harvesting project. Following its success, she continued her efforts in the village to build toilets, conduct health camps and community motivation. In 2018, she created Nabhangan Foundation to broaden her efforts at sustainable village development. Since the last three years, she is also a core member of Citizens For Tomorrow, actress Juhi Chawla’s NGO against plastic pollution.